NJLA Program: Notes from: "How DO They Do It All? Tips from Effective Library Leaders"

A big thanks to Kathy Schalk-Greene, Mount Laurel Library for organizing this program, inviting me to be on it, moderating it, and sharing her great notes with us! -pete

Notes from: "How DO They Do It All? Tips from Effective Library Leaders"
NJLA Conference, April 25, 2006 Sponsored by the NJLA Member Services Committee
A 50 minute program...

Speakers:

Peter Bromberg (bromberg@sjrlc.org) is the Program Development Coordinator for the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative in Gibbsboro, NJ.

Leslie Burger (lburger@princetonlibrary.org) has directed the Princeton Public Library since 1999 and is the president-elect of the American Library Association.

Mary Martin (martin@bccls.org) is currently working as Assistant Director of Glen Rock Public Library, a small public library in Bergen County.

Kurt W. Wagner (WagnerK@wpunj.edu) coordinates Library Systems and web management at the David and Lorraine Cheng Library at William Paterson University.

Q1: Was there any decision you made or skill you learned early in your career that has served you well?

Leslie:

• Don't wear a skirt while working at a library with glass floors
• Always ask why
• Never take no for an answer
• Continually challenge yourself
• Be flexible
  

Mary:

• Don't let fear rule you
• If you make a mistake, you don't die
• Don't assume that everyone knows less that you do (It's hard to ask for help if you think you're perfect)
• Thank people for what they do
  

Q2: What role does technology play in how you do what you do?

Kurt:

• Help others to understand the interrelated nature of these systems in libraries
• Always learn something new
  

Pete:

• I use technology to control and manage my time
• Not an early adopter ... finally got a cell phone when I saw the benefit to me.
• Five specific technologies that make my life better:

1. GoToMyPC to access my desktop from anywhere
2. Yahoo calendar and listservs
3. RSS Feeds to scan headlines on 100+ blogs/sites (I use firefox live bookmarks and have just fallen in love with blogbridge.)
4. FURL – great for project management, reading lists, general bookmarking and serendipitous discoveries!
5. AIM Chat for online meetings .
6. (Thought of this one late) Google Desktop--the lifesaving app for the perpetually disorganized. I love you Google Desktop. Don't ever leave me.
   

Q3: Do you have a life outside your job? How do you find a balance between your personal and professional lives?

Mary:

• You don't find balance on the street like loose change
• Most choices can be revisited later
• Sometimes you can't help being out of balance
  

Kurt:

• Always have a sense of proportion
• Have activities outside of work
• Don't worry about this too much
  

Q4: How do you foster good communication with your staff?

Pete

• You have to model good communication and show a willingness to listen without judgment
• Realize that all communication is good, even "negative" feedback ... it's always better to know.
• Proper response to negative feedback ... "Thank you" (props to Pat Wagner for that tip)
• Ask for what you need
• Be fact-based (rather than judgmental) in your speech to others
• Provide options... "where do we go from here?"
• Give others the benefit of the doubt. We're all passionate and deeply concerned about the health of our libraries.
  

Leslie:

• Send staff wide emails (even if you're not sure they check it)
• Communicate in many different ways
• Library has an internal blog (encourage others to make this the default home page)
• Lots of meetings (staff wide, department, librarians, task based)
• Face book of pictures and names of all library staff, trustees, Friends, volunteers (on the blog, in a notebook in the staff room)
• Write a personal blog (Leslie's is de-mystifying the ALA presidency)
  

Q5: Do you ever feel overwhelmed? What do you when that happens?

Mary:

• First, freak out
• Afterwards, get a grip
• Then, prioritize what needs to be done
• And after that identify those things you can do while trying to avoid the things that need to get done
  

Pete:

• I generally feel some amount of feeling overwhelmed. I go home more aware of everything that didn't get done, but I've learned to manage this much better
  
• Have other people in your life who can help keep things in perspective
• Exercise regularly
  

Q6: What single piece of advice would you give to a librarian at the beginning of their career?

Kurt:

• Learn to communicate well
• Avoid energy vampires
  

Leslie:

• Be open to new possibilities
• Be willing to change your route
• Conquer your fear, let it go
• Never stop learning

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See more NJLA program summaries at the official NJLA blog: http://blog.njla.org